Chapter 263) A Night To Remember

“Prom has all the elements of a popular story.
It has romance. Pretty dresses. Dancing. Limos. High school. Coming of age.”

-Adora Svitak

San Myshuno 
San Myshuno High School Senior Prom

The beat of the music, a mix of current hits and past party evergreens, that had filled the air at deafening levels seized when the live band was taking a break and canned music invited the couples to a slow dance.

Prom.

Among the crowd of young people who were about to be unleashed into the adult world were two familiar faces.

Caitlin smiled up at Heath as they swayed to the slow beats to the romantic love song.

“You’re a good dancer. I am impressed.” she told him when he dipped her again.

“So are you.” he smiled, making him look so handsome and grown up, the party lights made his eyes appear even darker purple than usual and Cait couldn’t help swallowing during one of those proverbial heart-skipping-a-beat moments, even though technically, her heart didn’t beat at all. The feeling caused her to blush which luckily was next to impossible to see in the strobe lights of the dancefloor. But – what was happening?

“Wanna take a break?” Heath asked now, his lips not even an inch from her ear as he leaned in. Oh, this felt strangely intimate and … nice.

She nodded, both stopped dancing as he led her outside, where the cool, crisp air welcomed them with a blanket of silence, leaving them with a slight ringing in their ears.

“You’re not too cold? Oh, wait a minute … I am an idiot.” he said, slightly nervous upon realizing they both were vampires and not susceptible to temperatures.

“You’re sweet. Wow Heath, prom, can you believe it? No more school, just the graduation ceremony left to attend now, both of us ALMOST 18 years old in just a few more weeks, almost officially adults. Man, it just feels weird to say it.”

“Yeah. Are you having fun?”

“Oh my god, yes! This is insane. I am so happy you came; I know parties aren’t your thing, you abhor crowds, especially if it’s not just family. Thank you for taking me to prom. You’re the best prom date I could ever imagine. I am crazy excited.”

“Thank you for being my date.” he smiled, but there was something in his eyes, something unspoken, and hearing him call it a date caused another wave of hotness to wash over Caitlin.
She was on a date! With Heath!

Something had changed between them; Cait could feel it and the way he looked at her now caused hot electric jolts to wash over her again and again.

She smiled at him too, neither spoke, then he leaned in and kissed her. Gently, tenderly, hesitantly, carefully feeling out the boundaries.

The moment their lips touched Caitlin felt the jolts of electricity all the way from the top of her head into the tips of her toes, she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him harder. Sure, she had kissed KC before, but it had never felt like this. Amazing, new, yet familiar. Wow.

When they separated, she looked up at him, then smiled.

“Take me home, Heath. Right now.”

“I thought you were having fun. Did I overstep?”

“No, you didn’t and I am having fun. But now I want to go home. With you. I am not trying to end the night; I am trying to expand on it. I want to be alone with you, Heath.”

“Oh … okay!”

They called a car to take them back to the penthouse, making out in the backseat the entire ride, as well as in the elevator and again in front of Caitlin’s room door.

Heath didn’t hesitate when she giggled and pulled him inside, then locked the door behind them. Usually he was timid, hesitant and tentative, but not tonight. He took everything she was willing to offer.

Reading in his eyes, she began to unbutton his shirt with shaky fingers, nervously fondled his belt, until he took both her hands, kissed them and took over the job, letting his pants slide down his legs, as Caitlin turned around so he could undo the zipper of her dress, then rid himself of his jacket and shirt.

After she stepped out of her dress and turned around to him, they just stood there, both in their underwear now, staring, admiring the old familiar bodies of the other, seen so many times poolside at the Cameron Mansion growing up and even after on occasion, but this was different. Both gently started touching, exploring each other.

Both knew that tonight would be the night, the one where everything between them would change, the point of no return had been reached and they would cross into that uncharted territory together.

And they did. Slow and easy but filled with every emotion imaginable.

Afterwards they laid on her bed, next to each other, when she turned her head to him, smiled, he turned to her and smiled too, making her giggle, but then she got serious again.

“I have always loved you. I just didn’t know it yet.” she said.

“I know. I waited. I would have waited forever and a day for you, Caitie. I think I loved you from the first moment I laid eyes on you at eight years old. I don’t know if that is possible, but it feels that way.”

“Why didn’t you say something sooner? I had no idea you felt this way about me. You were always so … aloof, in a way.”

“You weren’t ready. Maybe I wasn’t ready yet either.”

“I am a lucky girl. You are amazing, Heath.”

“I am the lucky one, I am dating a model.” he chuckled, making her giggle too.

Announcing the change in their relationship was as easy as showing up everywhere holding hands. The reaction was always positive, even by Blaine, who just laughed heartily, then nudged Scarlett and said

“You owe me a twenty, Letty!”

In a quiet moment Heath sought out Blaine alone.

“Are you okay with this? Caitie and me, I mean?”

“Sure I am, why wouldn’t I be, kid? I raised you knowing this was probably gonna happen. Surprised it took you this long. Watching you as children, innocent but already so close, then later as teens seeing you react to boys liking her, I always knew this was coming. I know you are a good kid, a solid young man, and you’ll treat my little girl right.” Blaine winked.

Heath waited for the usual Blainism to follow, a joke, teasing, but nothing else came. It made him emotional, his heart overflowed, spilling out his mouth.

“You were the best father figure I could have ever asked for. I never thanked you for everything you and Scarlett did for me. My father’s death was probably the best thing that could have happened to me, or I would have become just like him. I don’t remember much about him, but the little snippets I do recall I’d rather forget. So, thank you, for everything you have done for me, little and big and everything in between.”

“Thank me by always treating my little girl right. Funny coincidence too, Scarlett and I were recently talking about just all that. Life is nothing without second chances. Not everyone gets one, not all deserve one, but luckily you got yours and I got to be part of it.”